Cultivator



3 Sheets-Sheet l T. w. JOHNSON CULTIVATOR Dec. 2, 1952 Filed June 19, 1947 k% \w x: by KN Rh NW nn 0 wk mm a Dec. 2, 1952 1'. w. JOHNSON 2,619,889

CULTIVATOR Filed June 19, 1947 s sheets-sheet s [721/4272 ivr Patented Dec. 2, 1952 CULTIVATOR Theodore W. Johnson, Moline, Ill., assignor to Deere & CompanygMoline, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 19, 1947, Serial No. 755,767

5 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements and more particularly to cultivators and similar implements adapted to be mounted on a farm tractor and propelled thereby.

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provision of a wheel supported single row lister cultivator adapted to be connected to a tractor by quick attachable means and controlled by suitable connections with the tractor. Further, it is a feature of this invention to provide a single row lister cultivator or similar implement especially adapted to be controlled as to depth of operation and raised and lowered into and out of a transport position by suitable connections with the vertically swingable power-actuated drawbar of the tractor.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of an agricultural implement of the type that is adapted to be hitched to a tractor having a power operated unit movable through two ranges, with connections whereby movement of said unit through one range effects an adjustment of the ground working tool means while movement through the other range provides for bodily lifting the implement and tool means out of working position.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of a single row listed corn cultivator adapted to be connected to a tractor having a vertically swingable power operated drawbar, in connection with raising and lowering means connected between the implement and the tractor drawbar and arranged to accommodate lateral movement of the implement relative to the drawbar while remaining in a position in which raising or lowering of the tractor drawbar serves to raise or lower the implement.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 a rear view of a tractor mounted integral listed corn cultivator in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly Figure 1, the reference numeral I indicates a farm tractor of the type having a generally longitudinally extending relatively narrow body 2 and supported on front wheels (not shown) and laterally spaced rear traction wheels 4 journaled for rotation in a rear axle structure in which axle shafts 6 are rotatable. The tractor] includes a power plant I and a power lift unit 8 of the hydraulic type, which includes suitable valve mechanism 9 and other parts, such as a pair of lift arms II and links I2 connecting the arms I I to lugs I3 formed on the side members I4 of a enerally vertically swingable tractor drawbar or bail member I5. The latter is preferably in' the form of a U-shaped member, considered as a whole, and includes a rear transverse section I6 which may be formed of round stock. The side members I I may be of any suitable construction and are pivoted at their front ends, as at IT, to drop housings I8 which form a part of the tractor rear axle structure. Preferably, the rear portion I6 of the tractor drawbar is welded or otherwise permanently secured to the side members I4 of the tractor drawbar. The two power lift arms I I are clamped or otherwise fixed in any suitable manner to the ends of a power lift rockshaft 28 which forms a part of the hydraulic power lift unit 8, Each of the tractor drawbar side members carries or is formed with an upwardly extendin operating arm 2I apertured to receive connections to implements and the like.

The tractor I is provided with a pair of attachment plates 22, each plate member 22 having a notch 23 and carrying a stud 24 on which a wing nut 25 is mounted. The attachment plates 22 and associated parts normally form a permanent part of the tractor I and provide for the quick and ready attachment and detachment of implements and/or implement parts. For example, the tractor just described is adapted to receive a one-row listed corn cultivator which is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 30.

The implement 30, with which the present invention is more particularly concerned, comprises an implement unit which preferably takes the form of a lister cultivator gang 3I which per se is largely of conventional construction. Preferably, however, the gang 3I includes a pair of bell wheels 32 journaled for rotation on the laterally outturned ends 33 of a pair of standards 34, the upper ends of which are securely fixed, as by clamps 35, to a transverse polygonal tubular member 36 in which a shaft 31 is disposed for relative rocking movement, as on bushings carried by the tubular member 36. The ends of the shaft 3! extend laterally outwardly of the ends of the member 36 and receive a pair of tool brackets 4| to which a pair of shovel beams 42 are adjusttending clamping member 49 that is also carried" by the square tubular member 36.

A hitch frame, indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 50, serves to connect the lister:

gang 3! with the tractor I. 50 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending bars 5| and 52, the rear ends of which are. turnedlaterally outwardly, as at 53, and fixed by bolts or the like to a rear frame angle 56. The culti-- vator gang 3| is pivotally connected with the hitchirame bar'55zby means of a pair nit-brackets 54iwhich arewfixed to. thebar 56 andxpivoted; as at 59, .to' extensions 69. on; the front endsof the brackets 49"..

Fixed? to: one? endof; the" frame ang1e56f is a notched sector; 51- and fixed to: the other end. of the-angle 562. is? a bearing bracket 58. The :members 151: and"; 58: are apertured to receive a transverselyrdisposedzrockshaft- 5:! that: extends latera'lly; outwardly of thelister gang 3| and-carries pairs of? arms 63 in;the=1ower: rear end portions of which'ground wheels:64- are-journaled. Preferably, the: arms 63- are" rockably connected with the'router' endportion-s of the cross shaft 6| but are: biased against. upward movement relative theretorby arcuate-springs: 56: bearing atthe upperrends againstclamping' arms -63! that: are fixed to. the' outer endsv of: the shaft. 5!, thelower. end of eachof the: springs 66 bearing against the associatedlaterally outer ground wheeLa-rm- 63. Aihand lever '11 is fixed at itslowerv end to the shaft; 61" and; carries detent mechanism 12-- that coopera-teswith the notched sector 57'. Releasing, the detentmechanism and swinging the hand lever H in one-direction; or the other. serves. to movewtheground wheels 64 into different. posi tions relative to. the frame 58; The forwardends ofv the: hitch. bars 5! and. 52- converge and are connectedyas by bolts'lfi, toahitch plate 7.1. and the latter is pivotallyconnected, asby a quick attachable:- hitchipin. 19-, to the lower portion-of anattaching structure-89. The latter comprises apairofrhitch brackets.- 8] and 82 tied together bya=cross=bar 83-to*which the upper portions of the bracketsare fixed; as by welding. The-upper marginalsections of: the: hitch brackets 8| and 82 are-prov-idedzwithslots34-that are adapted to engage thestudsi 24 on. the brackets. 22- that: are carried by the tractor, and the tie bar 83: is adapted to be seated in. the sockets23= of. the tractor. brackets 22.. Theattaching structure 88 may therefore be readily attached and detached merely by loosening'thewing. nuts. 2.5-and sliding the bar 83 out of the slots- 23 and the slots 84 of'the bracket plates 8.! and 82 away from the tractor stud-bolts 2'4.

Mounted on the. hitch bars 5| and 52 isa pair of'bearing brackets 9| and 92. in which. a. shaftv 93 is" mounted for rocking movement. The shaft .9.3 carries a pair'of. downwardly and forwardly extending apertured arms 94 and S5" and one of the arms is extendedupwardly, as at 9.5; and is aperturedto receive a swivelmember 91in. which the rear portion of an. adjusting link or pipe member 98- is disposed; A pair. of links. I00 ex- Ihehitch frame tend rearwardly from the lower ends of the arms 94 and 95 to the lower ends of the bell wheel standards 34, being pivotally connected to the latter parts by means of apertured lugs I03 (Fig. 3). The forward end of the pipe member 98 is flattened, as at 99, and apertured to receive a cross bar NH. The forward end of the link member. 98. is held-'- in place-on.- the bark lill: by any suitable means; such as a pair ofcotters Hi2, and the bar llll is carried in the upper apertured ends of the tractor drawbar arms 2!, being held against lateral displacement therein by any suitable means, such as a pair of quick detachable pins: I03. Th'erbar. [0| may quickly be released fromthe tractor; drawbar arms 2| by taking out one of the'pins- H13 sliding the bar in one directionor theother. until it can be entirely released from the tractor drawbar [5. The pipe member 98 and the links I00, with associated parts, constitute generally fore-and-aft extending means for connecting the: drawbar arms 2|; with the lower. portions of. the wheel standards:v Abutment :means: in .-the form of a pair :of book. mem. bers Hi5 arepivotally connected, as at: |06,.to the hitch bars 5| and 52, and the hook portions I01 of the members: I05 are so. formed that: when the tractor drawbar. l5-.is.- inits-lowermostposirtion, the hook members l05-.-may"be swung for.- Wardly until the hook. portions I01 thereof: are in: a position; to receivethe transversescction |.6..of the tractor drawbar I 5.

Whenthe gang; unit 3| isdisposed-inamupzright. position. and the: front endof the hitch frame. 513. rests on the, ground the hook. members m5. may be swung rearwardly untiLthey. engage the outrigger. shaftirl. Thetractormay thenbe backeddhto positionover the hitchframe 50.and the drawbar. l5; lowered asitaphroachesthe hook membersi05sd that, when. the draw-bar is.in-its lowermost position, the. hook. members: I05 may bev swung. forwardly. so. as. tov dispose the hook sections I51 aboveand just forward. of. the transverse bar i'fifof. thetractondrawbar 1.5.- Theoperator. then fastens. thev attaching. structure to the tractor, or in theeventthelatter structure was not removed, the. front end. of the. hitch frame 56 may be connected; td theattaching structure. 80. by the quick. attachable. pin 19. Lastly, the. operator inserts. the crossbar HH. in the. tractor. drawbar. arms 21, andthepartsare thenarranged'for. operation. The drawbar. l5-of the tractor isthen raised, the transversesection lfiI passing upwardly intov thehooksections. I07 of. thememb ers. ,l 05 thus. lifting; the-frame- -50 and the. associated lister cultivator. unitintoatranssportposition. When. the field. oioperation is reached, the operator lowersthestractordrawbar l 5 a distancesufiicient tocause'the tools -,to.-w0rk at the proper depth. The depth of the:to.ols may be. adjusted. whenever desired bycausing the tractor drawbar. l 5 .to be raisedror lowered,.which actionexerts apull or thrustithroughthe -link:93 and swings the shaft 93- in-one directionor the other and thus acts through the-lower links- I00 to swing the standards34 to raise or'lower the tools. relative tothe supporting bell-.w-heels-3-2. The outrigger wheels 64 serve" as:gauge' wheels and stabilize the lister. gang 3-! againstlateral displacement, and the. amount; of tension. exerted by the springs 56 against the ground wheels: 64 maybe adjustedas desired by; swinging the hand lever- H; in one direction .or the-other: T-hewother handlever- H2 isutilized-to raise or lower-the shovels 45: relative to the-disks 4i. Itwillibe noted thatthe hand lever. H2. is pivoted to a.

sector-bearing extension H3 On the right hand bracket 49 and is connected by a link 5 to the right hand shovel bracket 4|. A shield H6 is pivotally connected with the bar 36 and is held in different positions by a bracket ill, fixed to the angle 56, and a link H8 having an adjusting screw H9 at its forward end. It will also be noted that the hook members I05 are disposed closer together than the distance between the side arms [4 of the tractor drawbar member I5. This provides sufficient clearance to accommo date a limited amount of lateral swinging of the implement relative to the tractor, the hook sections I07 sliding laterally in one direction or the other along the transverse bar [6 of the tractor drawbar l5.

While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular details shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. For use with a tractor including a power operated, generally vertically swingable structure mounted on the tractor and having a rearwardly extending section and a forward upwardly extending section, the improvement comprising a hitch frame adapted to be connected at its for ward end to the tractor forward of said swingable structure, an implement unit comprising wheels, generally vertical standards on the lower end portions of which said wheels are carried, and rearwardly disposed ground working tool means connected with said standards, means swingably connecting said unit at points adjacent the upper portions of said standards to said hitch frame, genarlly fore and aft extending motion-trans mitting means adapted to be connected to the upwardly extending section of said swingable structure and operatively connected with the lower portions of said standards for rocking the latter to raise and lower said tool means, and abutment means swingably connected with said frame at a point rearwardly of said swingable structure and movable into and out of position to be engaged by the rear portion of the rearwardly extending section of said swingable structure when said rearwardly extending section is raised.

2. For use with a tractor including a power operated, generally vertically swingable structure mounted on the tractor and having a rearwardly extending section and a forward upwardly extending section, the improvement comprising a hitch frame, means for connecting the for ward end of said hitch frame to the tractor, forward of said swingable structure, an implement unit comprising wheels, generally vertical standards on the lower end portions of which said wheels are carried, and rearwardly disposed ground working tool means connected with said standards, means swingably connecting said units at points adjacent the upper portions of said standards to said hitch frame, generally fore and aft extending motion-transmitting link means operatively connected with the lower portions of said standards for rocking the latter to raise and lower said tool means, means for connecting the forward end of said link means with the upwardly extending section of said swingable structure, and abutment means swingably connected with said frame at a point rearwardly of said swingable structure and movable into and out of position to be engaged by therear portion of the rearwardly extendingsection of said swingable structure when said rearwardly extending section. is raised, said abutment means including hook-like members pivoted to said hitch frame and swingable forwardly into a position over the rearwardly extending section of said swingable structure in its lowermost position. v

3. The invention set forth in claim 2, further characterized by said hook-like members having vertically extending slots, providing a lost motion connection between said vertically swingable structure and said frame whereby the initial movement of said vertically swingable structure out of its lowermost position causes said wheel standards to be adjusted before said frame is raised.

4. For use with a tractor including a power operated, generally vertically swingable drawbar mounted on the tractor and having a rearwardly extending section, the improvement comprising an agricultural implement including a hitch frame the forward portion of which is disposable under said tractor and adapted to be connected at its forward end to the tractor forward of said swingable drawbar, means for connectingthe forward end of said hitch frame with the tractor, an implement unit movably connected with said hitch frame, motion-transmitting means connected with said implement unit and adapted to be connected with said swingable drawbar to be shifted by movement of the latter, and fore and aft swingably mounted drawbar-engaging abutment means carried by said hitch frame and swingable into a position over said rearwardly extending section, said abutment means having a generally vertically slotted portion adapted to receive the rearwardly extending section of said drawbar, whereby raising the latter engages said drawbar section in said slotted portion, movement of said drawbar section within said slotted portion providing for adjustment of said implement unit relative to said hitch frame and movement of said drawbar, after the lost motion provided by said slotted portion has been taken up, providing for raising and lowering of said hitch frame.

5. For use with a tractor including a power operated, generally vertically swingable drawbar mounted on the tractor and having a rearwardly extending section, the improvement comprising an agricultural implement including a hitch frame, the forward portion of which is disposable under said tractor and adapted to be connected at its forward end to the tractor forward of said swingable structure, means for connecting the forward end of said hitch frame with the tractor, drawbar-engaging means connected with the hitch frame and extending upwardly therefrom in a position to overlie and receive the rearwardly extending section of said drawbar, when the tractor is maneuvered into position over the hitch frame, whereby raisin the tractor drawbar acts through said abutment means to raise the rear end of said hitch frame, said drawbarengaging means having slotted portions, providing a limited amount of lost motion of the drawbar relative to said hitch frame, groundengaging tool means movably connected with said hitch frame, and motion-transmitting means for connecting said tool means with said drawbar whereby movement of the latter relative to the hitch frame through said lost motion range serves: to; shift said;.too1: means relative; to said hitch .frama,

Th$foilowing references are of, record in the file of this: p

Number atent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Name Date; Silver, Aug, 22, 1933 Number 8 Name Date. Buhri ,Mar. 28, 1939 Graham et a1 .Aug, 29,,1939 Graham; Mar. 19,1940 Ray; Sept. 12,1944 Silver Jan; 2, 1945 Silver; Dec*..10,- .1.946 Paul- Feb.. 25; 1947 

